Recently in Milwaukee, a new advertising campaign has sprung up for Alverno. Billboards and bus stop spaces are being filled with artistic drawings of women with single phrase taglines. It is inarguably an attention grabbing design, but what message is it truly sending? What is Alverno, and why should we care to find out? I am the curious type, so I had to check into the ad just to see what the point really was. It is not indicated on the billboard, which I found very curious.
The billboard was a dark, dully colored sketch with the words "Is college worth it?" The tone of the imagery immediately made me think that this was an advertisement for anxiety and depression help. Many people endure a lot of stress during college, so my first reaction was that this was a mental health aid of some kind. Upon visiting the website, I found that this is actually a Catholic Women's college. The front page takes what I will call the L'Oreal approach (you're worth it).
Immediately upon exploring the website, I decided that this campaign is a total bust. But then, I reconsidered. Maybe the point is to target female college students who are unhappy at their current university. The fact that it is an all female college makes the campaign seem more sensible, using images of females that might be relatable for someone whose current education is unsatisfying. Rather than seeking help, they seek change, and this campaign actually does motivate that. Maybe the university is seeking curious, action-taking women, and so in order to even figure out the campaign you must have the curiosity and motivation to investigate further.
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